How partnerships for human security are making progress towards the SDGs

01 July 2019

People desire peace, human rights, prosperity, and social equity but delivering on these in the face of today’s complex challenges is beyond the scope and capacity of any single institution or actor. It requires partnerships among a broad range of stakeholders under a comprehensive development framework such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Calling for a “spirit of strengthened global solidarity”, the 2030 Agenda underscores the fundamental importance of working collaboratively across stakeholders to address the multidimensional challenges encountered by people, in particular those who are most vulnerable and at-risk.

The human security approach recognizes the need to transcend fragmented responses in favour of people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented solutions with no one left behind. As a multidimensional analytical framework, it strengthens the interlinkages between peace, development and human rights, and stimulates meaningful partnerships among United Nations entities, governments, civil society, the private sector and local communities to accelerate delivery, limit duplication and maximize the reach of scarce resources. Applying the human security approach allows for a stronger integrated response that forges alliances to address current and emerging challenges with greater effectiveness together than alone.

Programmes supported by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) have illustrated how the approach helps break down organizational barriers by advancing joint analysis, planning and implementation that combines the expertise of diverse stakeholders towards concrete and tangible improvements in people’s daily lives. The following examples highlight the value of UNTFHS programmes for promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships that advance cohesive, inclusive and transformative strategies to realize the promise of the 2030 Agenda.

The Ngöbe-Buglé are an indigenous people that originate in western Panama but regularly migrate to Costa Rica to work on coffee plantations as a means of earning an income. As seasonal migrants, they often perform dangerous tasks without adequate labour protections and are vulnerable to exploitation. At home and in transit, they lack adequate access to essential public services, including health and education, and face additional pressures and insecurity from intermittent droughts and floods.

To address the multiple challenges faced by the Ngöbe-Buglé, a UNTFHS programme built the capacity a range of actors including public officials, farm owners, and service providers to form a protective network of accessible and culturally sensitive services. Public-private partnerships involving plantation owners and cooperatives established 17 shelters along the migratory route that provided legal assistance and basic social services for people on the move. This included health facilities with members of the local community acting as a cultural interface for doctors and indigenous women as well as early child development services for children accompanying their parents. Approximately 100,000 Ngöbe-Buglé migrants benefitted from this initiative.

The programme raised awareness among and trained businesses that hired Ngöbe-Buglé migrants, sensitizing them on the rights of temporary migrant workers and the positive impact that protecting their rights can have on productivity. As a result, many of the coffee growers demonstrated a greater commitment to support public health services provided directly to the Ngöbe-Buglé workers on their plantations. These protections have since been institutionalized under networks that enjoy government financing and the support of coffee growers.

At the same time, the benefits for the commercial sector have been demonstrated by a 75% reduction in worker turnover as well as new access to fair trade markets as businesses that respect human rights and eliminate child labour. Demonstrating that partnerships for sustainable development make business sense, a strategic alliance was established with the Association of Entrepreneurs for Development to implement a Protocol for Responsible Business Practices in the coffee sector to promote social dialogue and to mainstream the rights of the Ngöbe-Buglé migrants among employers and governmental institutions.

Recognizing the need for authorities and UN entities on both sides of the border to work together, the programme supported the establishment of a series of reciprocal bilateral agreements between Costa Rica and Panama and a sense of cooperation that percolated down to all levels of government, greatly strengthening joined-up efforts. Subsequently, the programme led to the first bi-national action plan to ensure continuity between public services provided in Costa Rica and Panama.

A Ngöbe-Buglé girl and her family can enjoy improved access to basic services and personal security at the Walker House in Quebrada Hacha along the migratory route. Credit: UN Costa Rica

The programme promoted the first bi-national action plan to ensure continuity between public services provided in Costa Rica and Panama. Credit: UN Costa Rica

With a poverty rate twice the national average and a high unemployment rate, the largely rural, agriculture-based Governorate of Minya was facing complex development challenges. Stagnation in employment opportunities, limited inclusion of women and youth in economic activities, and challenges with water and natural resource management as well as the provision of health services created a challenging economic environment, particularly for vulnerable women and youth. In this context, advancing sustainable development required a comprehensive strategy to tackle the underlying drivers of poverty and underdevelopment in an integrated and inclusive manner.

In response, the UNTFHS in cooperation with UNIDO, ILO, IOM, UN-HABITAT, UN Women, and the Government of Egypt implemented a programme that revitalized the local economy by investing in human capital and the rehabilitation of infrastructure and improving access to social services. Through community engagement strategies, including Human Security Forums, the programme promoted collaborative planning, implementation, and training to ensure that initiatives reflected local realities and priorities.

One achievement was the mobilization of youth as active development partners by engaging them in volunteerism and community activities. This resulted in the establishment of youth-led social enterprises to help address community challenges and provided employment to 4,500 individuals. Youth volunteers further cooperated with the Ministry of Education to eradicate illiteracy, organized a blood donation campaign with local government and the Egyptian Blood Bank, and spearheaded community service projects.

Partnerships with the private sector were also critical to the programme’s success and sustainability. Local microfinancing and village loans and savings efforts initiated under the programme were taken up by national banks after the programme period. Coordination mechanisms between local industries and businesses along the supply chain enhanced the marketability of products, revitalizing the local date and furniture industries and directly benefitting over 5000 people working in these industries.

The positive transformations from the programme led to its replication by the Ministry of Local Development in partnership with UNIDO and support from the Government of Switzerland in the neighbouring Sohag Governorate. In addition, specific innovations from the programme in Minya such as the use of riverbank filtration units to enhance water security was supported for scale-up by the Ministry of Housing with funding from Coca-Cola Egypt benefitting 2.25 million Egyptians.

Drawing on lessons learned from this initiative, the UNTFHS is currently supporting a second programme in Egypt’s Nile Delta focusing on youth employment, tackling the root causes of out-migration, and maximising the role of the government and private sector as partners in addressing economic insecurity.

By improving capacity and giving workers the relevant skills, businesses were able to boost their competitiveness and market their products better. Credit: UN Egypt

The active involvement of youth led to the successful implementation of programme activities in partnership with the Egyptian Government. Credit: UN Egypt

The conflict in Syria has had serious implications on Lebanon’s peace, security and development. As of 2018, Lebanon was hosting more than 1.5 million registered refugees from Syria, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. In the city of Tripoli, the influx of refugees was compounding stress on the public sector which was already grappling with high unemployment and overstretched services and infrastructure.

To prevent a deterioration in conditions, the UNTFHS together with UN-Habitat, UN Women, UNICEF, relevant ministries, and the municipality are supporting local organizations to improve the resilience of refugees and host communities in Tripoli through economic empowerment, better access to and quality of basic services, and the active involvement of the local population in data collection, field assessments and the design of relevant response strategies.

By applying the human security approach, the programme is mobilizing community members to enhance social cohesion and stability in close partnership with local NGO and municipal staff. Building on the existing and vibrant civil society in the city, the programme is supporting capacity development to further enhance the delivery of social services, particularly to those most in need. In particular, women and youth CSOs serving both refugees and host communities are involved in identifying appropriate solutions and mechanisms that are consistent with available resources.

For example, UN implementing partners collaborated with Fair Trade Lebanon and the Safadi Foundation to identify the needs of the private sector and skills gaps in the labour market to align programmes for women and youth from refugee and host communities. Based on this assessment, a training in food processing for women was developed in partnership with 45 local businesses and Ruwas Al Tanimah, a local NGO. Similarly, partnerships between the UN, the ABAAD Institute for Gender Equality and the National Commission for Lebanese Women are tackling the issue of sexual and gender-based violence through public awareness campaigns and psycho-social support groups.

Neighbourhood task forces are helping to coordinate the work of different agencies and partners, helping to ensure a unified strategy and clear action plan with the endorsement of the municipality. This approach is enhancing municipal and community ownership of the programme and is proving to be an invaluable tool for bringing different groups and communities together towards enhancing social harmony and mutual respect.

Local women from both refugee and host communities received training to fill a skills gap in the private sector. Credit: UN Lebanon

The UN partnered with local civil society organisations to meet the needs of both refugees and host communities. Credit: Al-Fayhaa Association

The 2016 peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) laid the foundation for greater stability and development across the country. Realizing the dividends of peace, however, requires a whole of society approach, including the active involvement of the private sector, to guarantee rights, expand opportunities and reduce inequalities, particularly for those most impacted by the conflict.

In this context, the UNTFHS is piloting an innovative Human Security Business Partnership (HSBP) framework for multi-stakeholder partnerships between transnational and national corporations, governments, UNDP, UNHCR, academia and civil society groups to advance sustainable development at the local level. In close partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) and in consultation with the UN Global Compact, the HSBP is comprised of principles, processes and tools that bring together various stakeholders for joint consultation and decision-making. Based on developing a shared vision and mutually beneficial initiatives, the HSBP will help build trust between businesses, government and local communities; assess existing capacities across stakeholders that can be leveraged through joint action; and mobilize expertise, technology, and financial resources for concrete actions towards sustainable peace and development.

For example, the programme is engaging with local chambers of commerce and enterprise coalitions such as ProAntioquia and the Bogota Chamber of Commerce to promote equitable economic and social development in areas affected by the conflict. Companies known as cajas de compensación, which carry out certain social welfare functions on behalf of the state, are also involved as important actors in building trust and strengthening relationships between the private sector and the local communities by adopting more people-centred responses.

The HSBP framework promises to be an important platform for engaging stakeholders in collaborative actions at the local level to enhance reconciliation processes and design initiatives that strengthen prospects for economic development, particularly in municipalities highly affected by the conflict. As such, it can help reframe the relationship between the private sector and local communities towards positive partnerships for sustainable development. Lessons learned from its implementation can inform similar strategies in complex development contexts.

A former combatant in Antioquia participates in a training and reintegration programme supported by the UN and the Colombian Government. Credit: UN Colombia

The Human Security Business Partnership (HSBP) is structuring cooperation between the private sector, the government and communities to provide integrated responses to local challenges. Credit: UN Colombia

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